Page 36 of Italy and Forever

She replied with a provoking glance.

‘But you’re not too different from me,’ she said. ‘Familiarity and feeling comfortable with someone are more important than their actual features.’

‘Do… people usually find you attractive?’

When the car juddered as she took her foot off the accelerator in surprise, he regretted his question. Actually, he’d regretted the question as soon as it had popped into his head.

‘Uh,’ she began, ‘that’s a good question. I suppose so. I mean, I get a lot of matches with conventionally attractive people.’

He wasn’t surprised.

‘Why are you nodding?’ she asked.

‘Well, you…’ He licked his lips. ‘People respond to you – positively.’

Her smile this time was tight. ‘Except you,’ she joked.

‘Ginny…’ he groaned.

‘I know. “It’s not that I don’t like you, but…” I forget what comes after the “but”, because what you mean is that you think I talk too much and value superficial things and I’m a bit of a loser to be chasing after love.’

Rhys wasn’t sure what he could say to that. He did think those things, although he wouldn’t use the word ‘loser’.

She laughed, scrunching up her nose. ‘I’m so right. You are an open book.’

He certainly hoped he wasn’t.

‘But it doesn’t matter,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Since you take beautiful photos. You can think what you l—Yikes!’

She yanked on the wheel and haphazardly merged left to avoid taking an off-ramp.

‘Perhaps we shouldn’t talk?’ he suggested gently.

‘For once, I agree with you.’

15

Ginny was a glutton for punishment. There was no other explanation for why she kept attempting to have a normal conversation with Rhys. She tried to convince herself that it was just because they were trapped in a car together for the hour’s drive to the chapel.

He was good with directions, though, probably because there was nothing personal about telling her to turn off the autobahn.

‘It’s kind of funny that Andreas is getting married in a place called San Valentino,’ she couldn’t help commenting. ‘It’s more romantic than I would ever have expected from him.’

She was more comfortable behind the wheel after they turned off, leaving behind the main arteries linking the regional capital of Bolzano with the northern valleys. Here, the hillsides were green and gold, brightening the otherwise grey day. They passed a vineyard, the vines glowing orange. Densely packed apple trees on a farm on the other side of the road were bright yellow, with red fruit still hanging on the branches.

‘I’m now convinced that the parish church of Saint Valentine in the middle of autumn is the perfect time and place to get married.’

She received only a ‘Hmmph’ in response, which she quixotically decided to take as agreement.

‘For other people, of course,’ she added. ‘I’ll have to put this church in our files. Our clients would love it.’

‘There are lots of places named after Saint Valentine. I had to check which you meant, because there are several, in this region alone.’

‘Now you’ve burst my balloon,’ she muttered. ‘I suppose you don’t like Valentine’s Day either.’

‘Giving a romantic gift when there’s an expectation of a romantic gift defeats the purpose.’

‘You prefer to give surprise gifts?’ she teased.